Those who move first are highly educated and/or have a high-income giving credence to my post from last year. “Yes, we’ve found a so-called tipping point at around 3-4%”, says Emma Neuman, research economist at Linneuniversitet. When the non-whites are that many in a residential area then the native Swedes start moving out.

Emma claims the effects were stronger in the 1990’s. Back then the tipping point was somewhat lower. According to Forsking & Framsteg this could be interpreted as people becoming more tolerant. Perhaps, or the odd million immigrants since then has limited the supply of white neighborhoods.

Stay Connected With Us

Subscribe to our mailing list

-The effect doesn’t revolve around immigrants generally. Immigrants from European countries give a no-move effect, instead it revolves around non-European immigrants. It is reminiscent of the phenomenon white flight in the USA where whites move away from neighbourhoods where many blacks move in.

Acceptance of diversity is in direct proportion to your distance from it

-Many people talk about ethnic diversity as an enriching factor, but when you choose a school for your kids or are going to move the question becomes very concrete, and then you often choose some form of Swedishness, according to Maja Lilja, sociologist at Örebro University.

She has interviewed 19 mothers of small children about diversity and Swedishness for her doctorate, and focuses on questions regarding segregation. Mixed neighbourhoods are considered interesting in interviews, but they don’t end up picking them in the end. (surprise-surprise)

-People pick whats best for their child, she says. They don’t want their kids to be in a minority, (curiously an overwhelming majority of the population vote for political parties that are working full-time to make their children and grand-children minorities in their own country – my note) or they place a lot of weight on the Swedish language.

In other words it’s about giving of the perception that you embrace diversity but when push comes to shove you aren’t willing to risk your own childrens well-being by raising them in Tensta and sending them to the Al-Azhar school in Stockholm.

I thought diversity was our greatest strength? I guess Sweden has not yet learned to be multicultural.